Bunny Ears
by Forwhateveritsworth
Summary: He supposed that most people who felt this way bought their girlfriends engagement rings or some kind of promise jewellery, but they were not 'most people'... After being moved by Hetty's story about the flowering cactus (S6E14 "Black Wind"), Deeks comes up with a way to show Kensi exactly how much she means to him.


**A/N: Set somewhere in S6 after Hetty tells the team the cactus story at the end of "Black Wind". Probably some references to a few S6 events, so possible spoilers.**

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"What is this?" asked Kensi, dumbfounded.

"It's a cactus." replied Deeks matter of factly.

"Yeah. I can see that Deeks, but _why _are you giving me a cactus?" Kensi was very confused and, if she was being honest with herself, slightly panicked. She did not have a good track record with house plants, even cacti - no, especially cacti. Deeks already knew this. _Everyone _knew this and so the sight of him standing on her doorstep with a spiky plant protruding from a terracotta pot was absolutely appalling.

She ushered him indoors as he started to speak once more. "Actually, more specifically this is a 'Bunny Ear' cactus." Deeks, who was enjoying playing professor, emphasised _Bunny Ear _by freeing a hand an acting out air quotes. "It is otherwise known as the Opuntia Microdasys. They originate from Mexico and make great houseplants for beginners." He finished proudly, looking her expectantly.

"Okay...and why are you giving it to me?" asked Kensi bluntly.

"Ah patience my little Sugar Bear, I'm not finished yet!"

He was wondering how long he could drag this out for. The perplexed and slightly anxious look on her face was priceless and made him smile to himself. He very much enjoyed it when his stone cold fox of a woman let her vulnerability shine through - even if it was just a tiny bit. Their relationship was complicated in every sense of the word but the way the banter bounced between them was undeniably unique. After 6 years of brutal put downs and witty comebacks, he relished the moments when Kensi didn't quite have the upper hand. He knew her vulnerability was something that only he was permitted to see and that look right there - the look that reminded him that Kensi was as fragile and as insecure as everyone else - that was the look that gave him the confidence he needed to carry on.

Predictably her vulnerability didn't last long and as she composed her facial features into a harsh glare, Deeks felt like his soul would explode if he held out on her any longer. "You see-" he continued, avoiding eye contact by staring intensely at the plant in his hands. "-what makes the Bunny Ear cactus unique is, apart from, well the Bunny Ears, is that it has a different kind of defence mechanism from other cacti. Instead of spines, it grows something called glochids. Now those bad boys bite! You brush up against one of these and its easily dislodged, piercing your skin and sticking with you for days. They're basically super badass and notoriously difficult to get out. They have been known to cause skin irritation in humans and can even blind cattle. How insane is that?"

She stared at him open mouthed, trying to come up with an appropriate response but her brain was failing her. She was desperately trying to figure out what the hell was he trying to say right now. Who turns up on the doorstep of someone who is completely rubbish at keeping house plants and presents them with some kind of cow blinding cactus?

Studying his face closely, Kensi replied raising an eyebrow questioningly. "So you've bought me a plant that blinds cows and is going to give me a rash if I touch it?" She was still trying to figure out his end game here; he was doing the classic Deeks thing of trying to say something without actually saying it and it was beginning to drive her crazy.

"Yes." He replied flatly.

"Why?" she asked, this time hoping for an answer that would actually offer some insight into the world of Deeks. He had certainly done some bizarre things during their time as partners but this was pretty random, even for him.

"For two reasons, Kensilina. Firstly, this cactus is basically you in plant form. All sweet and innocent looking - cute and fluffy - but, if you get too close and piss it off, BAM!" explained Deeks animatedly.

"Bam?" smirked Kensi.

"Bam." repeated Deeks, grinning widely.

"Uh-huh. So it's not because you think I'm itchy and clingy?" she teased, smirking as Deeks' face twisted with the realisation that his metaphor could have been phrased slightly more elegantly.

"No, no. Not that! Definitely not that. It's because you're my very own badass ninja warrior! Although, come to think about it, you are a _tad _clingy." He paused, grinning at the look of horror on his partner's face. "I mean… 6 years of working alongside you and you've _barely_ kept your hands off me. Honestly, it's been suffocating. I was starting to think I might need to talk to Hetty and arrange a meeting with the secret squirrel HR department." He mocked her but as usual, underestimated her lightning fast reflexes, which resulted in him wincing in pain as her well aimed punch hit him hard in the arm.

"Shut up, Deeks. I seem to remember it was _you_ who kissed _me_ first." she countered.

"As true as that is, I only did it because you were freaking out on me and it seemed like the perfect way of shutting you up. Well that and I also really, _really_ wanted to kiss those beautiful lips of yours." He raised an eyebrow in her direction and grinned broadly, silently daring her to counter with another trademark Kensi put-down. Instead her mouth opened and closed wordlessly. It was a rare yet silent admission of defeat.

"Aha!" he shouted triumphantly, allowing himself a moment to bask in the glory of winning an argument. Kensi scowled but the hint of a smile formed at the side of her mouth, giving away her feelings of endearment she felt for her dorky partner. Brimming with delight, Deeks decided it was now or never, he couldn't stand in her living room holding a cactus forever.

"So anyway, do you...er...do you remember a few weeks ago Hetty told us that story about the cactus?" he ventured coyly.

There was a pause as Kensi searched in her mind for the moment he was referencing. A lot happens in their line of work and if they aren't on a case they are inevitably caught up doing paperwork or training. There was never a dull moment and there was always lots of information to process. But, when it finally came to her, her eyes widened and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "The one where the young couple were forbidden to marry, so they run away into the mountains?" she asked softly, beginning to piece this evening's events together in her head.

Deeks nodded, silently relieved that she remembered it. He'd worried that it would have gone over her head and she'd have forgotten all about it. After all, it was just another one of Hetty's crazy stories, but to him…to him it had struck a chord and sent him spiralling deep into thought.

He'd thought about Kensi. Her laugh; her smile. The way she smelt, the way she playfully punched him when he took something too far. The way he swore her eyes could see right into his soul. He'd thought about 3rd hearts and frozen lakes. He'd thought about Thapa and his explanation of where home really was. He'd thought about family - about his childhood, about maybe even having kids himself one day. Every train of thought, no matter how random or insignificant it felt, they all lead him right back to Kensi.

Perfect Kensi.

He was sure that she was the one for him; the only one for him. He had never been more sure of anything in his life. But trying to explain to a stone cold fox like Kensi, who just so happened to be an NCIS agent/coworker that he definitely should _not _be in love with, that he actually _was_ irretrievably, undeniably head over heels in love with her - yeah, that was a delicate operation.

"Yeah, you remembered! That's the one." He smiled, daring a quick glance at her face. "So anyway, yeah they run away together and the goddess of the land takes pity on them - forbidden love and all that, you know how it is." He winked at her and shrugged nonchalantly, trying to lighten the mood but also to will himself to keep talking. "She turns the man into a giant cactus, all resilient and spikey. And she takes the woman and puts her inside of the plant. Every so often, the woman emerges in the form of a flower on the cactus and they live like that; together and protected for eternity." Deeks finished his story, taking the opportunity to have another quick glance at Kensi's face, searching it for any expression that might give her thoughts away. Seeing nothing, but satisfied that she hadn't punched him again yet, he continued.

"So I'm no god, although, _sure, _I definitely have the body of one -" He laughed nervously while apprehensively holding the cactus out towards Kensi "-but, if I can give you this and live with the knowledge that you know I will _always _be here to protect you and love you...well, that's about as close as I can get to fulfilling the story." He trailed off, leaving his words hanging in the thick air between them.

Saying the 'L' word out loud wasn't new to him, he had thrown it around for years, whether she'd believed him or not was a different story. The two of them had shared a lot over the last 6 years - from tiny gestures of affection to saving each other's lives multiple times. But this - this time it was different. This wasn't staying with someone to help them sleep or hugging their tears away - this was so much more; this was symbolic and, quite frankly, a terrifying admission of vulnerability and dependence that LAPD detectives and special agents weren't accustomed to showing.

He just hoped that his gut had been right and his heart hadn't lead him down a path of heartache and self pity. He silently prayed Kensi would accept the damn cactus and therefore accept that, no matter what, he wanted to be in her life and he'd do anything to make sure she was safe and happy for as long as he lived. He supposed that most people who felt this way bought their girlfriend's engagement rings or some kind of promise jewellery, but they were not 'most people'. After all, most people could also date who they wanted to without the fear of being fired or having Internal Affairs breathing down their necks - and that was all before the worry of their partner being killed in the line of duty.

The silence stretched on as Kensi stared at the offering in front of her. She could feel the gaze of his big blue eyes burning into the top of her head as she looked down at the object between them. With a shaky inhale, she reached out and took the pot carefully from his hands, avoiding the deceptively fluffy look glochids. As she looked up and smiled at him, she was reminded of a conversation Deeks had with Joelle just weeks before. She'd asked him _how do you tell someone that they're your entire world with just one gift_?

It looked as if her witty and adorably shaggy boyfriend had figured it out. Sure, it was unconventional, awkward as hell and completely on brand with their dysfunctional communication dynamic, but he'd once again taken the gamble and laid his heart out on the line for her.

Maybe one day in the future they'd be better at this. Maybe one day in the future she'd be able to tell him she can't breathe when she's not around him. Maybe one day she'd confide in him that she would put his own safety before hers without a second thought if it meant she could look into his eyes one last time. Maybe one day all of this and so much more would be possible because, if this is what it felt like to be _them_, to be all in, to play no more games - if this really was the beginning of the rest of her life then maybe…maybe they'd be alright.

She knew what to tell Joelle if she ever saw her again. She knew how to answer her question. What do you buy for someone who means the world to you? What do you buy that says you'll be there forever, to love and protect them, no matter what?

It turns out, you buy them a cactus.

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**A/N: I had planned to make this longer, but I'm not sure. I think this is a natural place to end it - what do you think? **


End file.
